The Door To Your Heart
by Kuro-Cha'Nay'Nay
Summary: It all starts with a chance encounter with a teacher's-aide on her college campus. With the help of her empathic abilities and her newfound feelings, Mariko realizes that there's more to Shizuo than meets the eye, and she's going to do anything she can to set him straight. Shizuo/OC


**Warnings:** Shizuo-OOCness! That's about it! Enjoy!

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A college freshman known as Mariko Asami sat down in her assigned seat. Oh, how excited she was for her first day at Rikkyo University! New classes to take… New friends to make… Could it get any better than this?

_I wonder if the professors here are any good_. Mariko wondered, nervously squirming in her seat. Flipping her auburn-dyed hair over her shoulder, she eagerly waited for him to enter the room.

He came in soon after the remaining students had taken their seats. He was a large, stocky old man, just the typical type you'd expect to see on a college campus. He introduced himself as Professor Demegawa. Behind him walked in his so-called "aide".

Mariko was utterly astounded at how attractive he was, and it was almost like love at first sight for her- she became completely infatuated with him in a matter of seconds. His bleach-blond hair and narrow features stood out compared to everyone else in the room. He was a young man that looked to be around twenty or so years old. He was introduced to the class as Shizuo Heiwajima.

_Shizuo… Heiwajima. _

Shizuo bowed respectfully to the class, a warm smile on his face as he proceeded to follow the professor's directions. But Mariko froze at the sight of that smile. Something about it was off. It just didn't feel right.

Mariko had always been a bit of an empath. It had always been easy for her to sense people's TRUE emotions, even when they put on a happy face and seemed to act completely normal.

And what she sensed behind that happy-go-lucky smile was pain. Pure pain. So much pain that she wanted to break down crying right in front of the entire class. And yet, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was causing his distress.

But she _had _to find out. As random as the feeling was, she immediately knew that it was her duty to help him. She already had a massive crush on this man, so why not go the extra mile and take the opportunity to get to know him better?

Later in the day, she noticed that Shizuo was leaving for his lunch break. Flipping open her cellphone, she launched the internet browser and typed his name into Google to find his address. Whatever pain he was dealing with, she assumed, there had to be a clue or two at his residence. After retrieving his address, she began formulating a plan to go about looking for clues.

3

It was pouring rain the night she reached Shizuo's house. His place somewhat reminded her of a tree house, because it had been built very high up on the ground and it had a large amount of winding stairs.

Mariko slid open the deck door, realizing that Shizuo wasn't home yet. She was incredibly surprised that he was actually dumb enough to leave his door unlocked. But, it did make it easier for her to check for clues, so she shouldn't complain.

Stepping inside, she looked around for any possible evidence that could confirm her suspicions. _Wow, this is really stalkerish of me, now isn't it? _She thought, smiling sheepishly. As she walked around the living room, a box slightly hidden behind one of the couches caught her eye. _Oh. I wonder what that is._

Opening it up, she was surprised to find dozens of news articles piled inside. Some read, "The Monster of Ikebukuro strikes again!" Another read, "Monster of Ikebukuro charged for property damage for the fifth time this month!" The last one she picked up said, "World-class informant Izaya Orihara tracks down the Monster Of Ikebukuro and finally gets him taken into police custody".

Mariko was horrified at the pictures displayed in the articles. All of them appeared to be of an angry Shizuo either destroying public property or screaming at the top of his lungs while police were attempting to cuff him.

_Huh? That's… "The Monster of Ikebukuro"? What is that supposed to mean? How could Shizuo possibly be a monster? Why on earth would he keep these?_

Her horror only intensified when she dug deeper into the box, pulling out even more disturbing articles. These appeared to be much older than the last. "Young child is kidnapped. Have you seen him?" and "Missing child is found on the side of the road in a battered, brutalized condition" and "Boy tells his story of the rape and bloody torture he received during the month he was kidnapped" and finally, "Boy is set to enter a mental hospital for at least five months for intense counseling".

By this time, Mariko's hands were shaking. Every single article had a picture of Shizuo as a young child.

_I knew it. That was his pain. That was what he had been hiding behind that smile. _Tears streamed down her face, and she started to sob into her hands. His pain was overwhelming her. Although she knew nothing about him getting arrested, she could definitely relate to his abusive situation.

She had _also _lived through a brutal rape when she was a young child. But that was something that she had never told anyone- not even her parents.

Attempting to pull herself together, she dug through the box once more to see if she could find any more clues. She found a small box, and inside of it was a small purple pillow that held the comforting scent of lavender.

_Shizuo must've smelled this whenever he felt stressed or upset. _In the box she also found a small card displaying the Serenity prayer. What scared Mariko the most was that she had also used these same techniques to calm herself down when she was in a girl found herself wiping her eyes again as more tears came down. There were just too many coincidences.

That fact made her only want to comfort him even more.

_Maybe we-_

"Hey! You… You were one of the girls in class today. What the hell are you doing in my house." Mariko whipped around, surprised to see a shocked, dripping Shizuo standing over her.

"Oh, Shizuo!" Without thinking, she jumped at him and flung her arms around his waist, burying her face in the wet jacket. "I'm sorry that I'm trespassing in your house and going through your things. I Know it's not right, but my intentions are good, I promise!" Mariko looked up at him, a single tear dribbling down her cheek. "I won't expect you to understand, but I just wanted to let you know that when you first stepped inside my classroom, I could feel the pain emenating off your body. You put on a fake smile for the class, but… On the inside, you're dying."

She motioned to the articles that now littered the floor. "I just really wanted to help you, so.. I came here to look for clues. And I found these. I know what you're going through, Shizuo. I was raped and abused, just like you were." It took a few moments for Shizuo to register all of this. He took a deep breath before responding.

"….A-Are you serious? You're not screwing with me, right?"

"Of course I'm being serious! See that lavender pillow? I used that same scent to calm me down when I was feeling upset. Oh, and the Serenity Prayer? I would say it aloud when I was in a time of need!" She snuggled even closer into his waist. "I know that I just met you, and this may sound crazy, but I've realized now that I have feelings for you. I feel like our hearts are connected in a way, since we've been through the same experiences. But… Maybe that's just my opinion. You don't have to return my feelings, but I just want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

Mariko blinked in surprise as the young man bent down and wiped the tears from her eyes with his finger. "…Ssh. Don't cry, it'll bring back bad memories." Shizuo flashed her a small but genuine smile, and pulled her into a warm, gentle hug. "It's Mariko… Right? If we could just have a nice long talk… I'd appreciate that."

_Two years later…._

Yup, it turned out exactly like you thought it would. Mariko and Shizuo bonded over their past experiences, and they felt so, SO much love for each other.

"Morning, Mariko." Shizuo walked in and gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek, laughing at the fact that she was still tucked comfortably in his bed. "It's almost time for classes to start. You'd better get up. You don't want to be late, now, do you?"

"Yeah, I guess not." Mariko yawned, sitting up and doing a wild stretch. Shizuo rolled his eyes and headed towards the entrance to the room. "Well, I'm gonna go now. I have to aide a biology class today, and the prof' wants me there on time."

"Oh, Shizuo?" Shizuo turned around, blinking in confusion. "Uh, yeah?"

"Don't forget to lock the door."

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**XD This is the third fic I've managed to spew out today. Lucky me! My job only requires me to work four hours a day. Anyways, I'm really happy with the way it turned out! Mariko is a random OC I came up with, btw. I really hope you guys liked it, and I'd love to get reviews from you~!**


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